Little White Lies

The making of Little White Lies. The Black Swan issue which David Carson contributed to. On the final cover, the text overlaps part of the LWL logo turning the S into a dollar sign. I love the illustration and watching everything being built up and painstakingly adjusted in this video. It shows how much time and attention is takes to produce something we my read once, keep for a while and then throw away (recycle, hopefully).

A Special Relationship

It's here!! And it's quite fantastic. Clever use of illustrations and typography. I'm not so sure about some of the political meanings but I can't wait to research and find out!

A Special Relationship

Flicking through 'A Smile in the Mind' I came across some illustrations for David Gentleman's book 'A Special Relationship'. When I read about it being a response to the UK's relationship with the US, it clicked straight away with the new project brief we start on the 14th.
I found information about the book very scarce so I decided to order it, although the shipping may take up to 4 weeks!! It's coming from Chicago, you see. Hopefully it will be in my grasps soon.

These Tuesday posts are becoming a regular thing

Out of about 24 exposures, only 10 photos came out of this film I took on my Grandad's SLR. It doesn't make sense as the images that came out are dotted about on the film (8, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25). I used a handheld light meter but this shouldn't have affected all the photos!!

On a lighter note, these rather lovely lens filters came into the shop today that will fit my digi!! There is a Portrait Soft Spot, Graduate Violet, Warmtone UV, Portrait Soft Focus, Orange, Starfractor 6 Point and a standard UV. Also 2 step rings for different sizes which might be useful on an SLR. Of course, what would be even more useful would be if the SLR works in the first place!!


NOW... the exciting bit!! A few samples...

Warmtone UV

I somehow felt the need to use it inside...

Portrait Soft Spot

One day I'll learn what portrait means!

Graduate Violet

You can see it better against a normal version where my walls are more blue

And last but not least...

Multi-image

I can now do funky things like this!!

Peace out



Steve

Steve is now finished and coloured in. Graphic designer stereotypes.

Illustration 2011

I found this illustration calendar at work along with a box of Penguin book cover postcards. Every day there is a different artist and a featured illustration. A lot of the illustrations from January were quite computery (now a word, apparently, although spell check doesn't like it) but February has brought with it lots of hand-drawn inspiration.

I realised after a few weeks that I was waiting for something that would really grab me and make me want to move in a certain direction. I then asked myself, why don't I just make that special something myself?

Wednesday 2nd February was a good day. Christina Drejenstam was the illustrator of that day's calendar entry. She uses splashes of inks that often blot the ink of the pen. Aside from her still life personal pieces, a lot of her work is fashion orientated.

I love the freedom and the colours as well the half-drawn faces. It's tricky to get the eyes the same size, shape etc but this unfinished look offers us to create the rest in our minds.

Accidents like can be amazing. Apart from when it's a nose bleed rather than ink.

I also came across Mia Overgaard on the website that Drejenstam is featured on. Both styles are very similar but Overgaard also has more intricate, full page pieces.

The occasional use of colour focuses on the main aspects as well as the beauty and simplicity of the illustrations.

Maybe it's because I'm a girl, or because I've always liked colours and have recently started wearing more mascara, but these are so exciting and are definitely what I like to see myself doing.

www.peppercookies.com

T shirt

I noticed the top I'm wearing today (from Pull & Bear) is very similar to the Polaroid leaflet cover I posted on Tuesday 7th Dec 2010

Steve

Steve, my stereotypical graphic design buddy. Part of a project where I am looking at stereotypes of graphic designers and how to challenge/change these perceptions.

Pencil pal

I've been thinking more and more lately about how beautiful illustration is. It doesn't matter if it looks exactly like what it is 'meant' to be - not that this is an excuse to produce something bad. Often just the energy put into it shows in the finished drawing.

A pair of shoes I recently bought. They don't 'match' in this drawing but I'm excited about improving.

A rough sketch for my photography sketchbook. I've always liked drawing people and getting the expressions on their faces.

One Wednesday lecture we kicked off with teapots, so I drew one. I'd never usually think of drawing such a random object but it's made me see that I can draw whatever I want in order to practise.

Again, a portrait. I need to work on proportions. I've always liked filling in the rough, sketchy details such as hair and shading. It feels somehow rewarding after spending time looking at details.

A drawing of John (Peter Gallagher) from 'sex, lies and videotape'. In between using Photoshop and taking pictures, I missed drawing so I decided to do one for the sake of the sketchbook and to make me feel a bit better! I kept the colours soft which makes the dark hair show up a bit too much.

Jarvis Cocker. It's not exact - it doesn't quite have his expression or his attitude, but it's modest. It's getting there.

sex, lies and videotape

  A2 poster for a project where we had to design a poster, packaging and a leaflet for a film. I chose Steven Soderbergh's sex, lies and videotape and decided that the condom would be the main visual in my poster and a product to base my packaging and leaflet around.

  This choice was to show the dangers of sex without protection. The film was made in the late 1980s during the birth  of the recognition of AIDs. We never see people in films address the issue of condoms and safe sex so I chose the condom to interrupt the visual screen shot of the film.